


Phanniversary

by thatsmistertoyou



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-21
Updated: 2014-04-13
Packaged: 2018-01-19 04:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1455571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsmistertoyou/pseuds/thatsmistertoyou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil’s on holiday in Florida with his family, and is homesick for Dan. His family starts to notice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was begging to be written if you ask me. Happy Phanniversary Phandom <3

Phil was sprawled out in a lounge chair in front of a pool. And about ready to throw his computer into it. He depended on the internet for his livelihood, but was just as addicted to it as the average tumblr user. So, being without it for most of the morning was frustrating to say the least.

“It’s still not working?” his mum asked as she took a seat in the chair beside him. 

“No. It’s terrible. Next year we’re staying in a different house. Wi-fi is essential.” She laughed. 

“Phil, can’t you go one holiday without internet?” 

He just stared at her. “There’s my answer, then,” she replied, chuckling again. 

“When are we going home?” 

“Really Phil, just because you can’t check the twitter-”

“ Mum, ” he began to correct her, but thought better of it. “I just wanted to know.” 

“Saturday afternoon. We’ll be back by 10 pm London time.”

“I thought we were leaving on Friday?” Phil questioned, perplexed. He could have sworn that she told him that they were staying less than a week. 

“I tried to make the plane reservations for that day, but there was nothing. I thought I told you about that ages ago.”

“Oh, must’ve forgotten.”

His mum looked at him expectantly, as if she could tell he was hiding something. He hated that superpower. But he said nothing, so she gave up and returned to the house, leaving him alone by the poolside once again. 

While the lack of dependable internet connection did not help, the real reason he wanted to go home was that Saturday was the 19th of October. It would be the fourth anniversary of the first time he and Dan met in person. 

They didn’t necessarily celebrate it, but they acknowledged it. They’d treat themselves to Chinese takeaway, and indulge in a little mushy chat about how far they’d come since then. It had been an eventful four years, after all. His biggest fan became his best friend, their YouTube careers took off, they became hosts of an international radio show, and had millions of amazing fans. He couldn’t ask for anything better. 

So he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t spend that day with Dan. The jetlag would ensure that he’d sleep as long as possible before their radio show on Sunday, and by the time they get back from the BBC, they’re too spent to do anything. It seemed that doing anything to acknowledge it was out of the question this year. 

Phil tried not to let that bother him, though. They would, hopefully, have many more years to celebrate their success. 

Abandoning all hope of internet access, Phil closed his laptop in surrender and went back inside. He opened the sliding glass door and ambled into the living room. His brother, his brother’s girlfriend, and his parents were sat on couches in front of the TV.

“You’re just in time!” Martyn exclaimed. “We’re about to watch Life of Pi. I’ve really been wanting to see this.” He popped the disc into the DVD player and lied down with his head resting on Cornelia’s lap.

Phil agreed, and took a seat on the only unoccupied sofa. The film was certainly entertaining, but, as they always did, his mum and brother had fallen asleep in no time. He exchanged a glance with Cornelia, who rolled her eyes and stroked her boyfriend’s hair idly as she watched. His mum had slumped over onto his dad’s shoulder.

Phil couldn’t shake the feeling that he was spending his holiday becoming a Professional Fifth Wheel. As much as he loved his family, being around two couples wasn’t helping his ever-increasing awareness of his singledom. 

He attempted to tweet about his annoyance, only to remember that the internet was still out. Out of defiance, he clicked tweet anyway, hoping that it would publish when the connection came back. He returned his attention to the film as best he could, but he was growing sleepy himself. His body was adjusting to the Florida time too slowly, and he found himself getting tired at the most random and inconvenient times. He lied down on the couch, giving into the temptation, but willing himself to stay awake for the rest of the film. He managed to make it to the end credits, but as soon as they started rolling, his eyes drooped closed. 

He had an odd dream in which it was snowing in his and Dan’s flat. He was cold, so he searched for his space jacket. He turned the whole apartment upside down and made a snowman before realizing that Dan had stolen the jacket. Dan was wearing it while napping, and shivering uncontrollably. Phil sighed and climbed under the covers with him, wrapping his arms around Dan’s waist and warming them both up with body heat. Dan turned around and nuzzled his head into Phil’s chest. His hair smelled nice.

***

Phil dreamt about Dan quite a lot. Most of his dreams were of the same basic formula as that one: something very odd was happening, Dan was there, and they wound up cuddling or kissing or sometimes more. 

Phil was happy with the state of his relationship with Dan, but his subconscious wouldn’t listen. They had decided years ago that things shouldn’t be like that between them. Ever since that agreement, he felt like he was betraying Dan’s trust by wanting more. He had grown into something of an expert at repressing his romantic feelings for his best friend, so the thoughts only came up occasionally. But then Dan would do something adorable or funny or he’d wear that stupid tank top or smile that stupid smile with his stupid dimples.  Yeah, you’re just fine with how things are , he thought sarcastically. 

Truthfully, he was scared. His friendship with Dan was the best thing in his life. If he did anything to put it in jeopardy, he’d never forgive himself. And both his fear and his desire had been increasing lately. 

So he thought that spending some time away from Dan might help, but in reality, it made it worse. Dan felt like he’d be intruding on his holiday if he called or texted too often, so Phil had to go without. (The last interaction he’d had with Dan was the one in which he told Dan he wouldn’t be home until Saturday night.) Phil had been doing just fine in his state of deprivation until that dream. 

Even though they had come so far in their four years, Phil sometimes yearned for the newness and excitement that characterized the early parts of their friendship. They skyped for hours, slept in the same bed whenever Dan came to visit from Uni, and were generally more affectionate. But, that’s when things got complicated, and they decided that best friendship was plenty for them. 

And it is , Phil tried to convince himself. 

***

Phil threw himself into video editing for the next day or so, growing increasingly fed up with Martyn and Cornelia’s cutesy behavior, and his mum and dad’s seemingly incessant questions about why he seemed so sad.

“The internet’s back up and running, your new video’s coming along, it’s a beautiful day, what’s the matter?” his dad asked. That was true; he had indeed been able to check ‘the twitter’, his video was almost done, and it wasn’t terribly hot. 

“He misses Dan,” Martyn declared, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Phil blushed. “No, I just -” 

“Is that why you want to go home? Dan will be there when you get back,” his dad replied.

“I know, it’s just, I thought we were going home on the 18th.” 

“What’s that got to do with anything?” his mum piped in.

“Uh.” All four of them were staring at him expectantly. He flushed a deeper shade of scarlet. It seemed so silly to say it aloud, but maybe it would get them off of his back. “The 19th is the fourth anniversary of the day we met in person. We didn’t have anything planned… I just thought it would be nice if we could spend it… together.” 

“Awww,” Cornelia said. “That’s really sweet.” 

“Phil, why didn’t you say something? I would have moved the dates if it was that important to you,” his mum said. 

“It’s not -” 

“Rubbish,” said Martyn, clearly enjoying teasing his brother. 

“Shut up.” 

Phil left without another word, and played pokemon in his bedroom until Cornelia urged him to join their ping pong tournament. He won, and that cheered him up considerably. 

He slept more peacefully that night. Dan came to visit him, of course (riding a giant dolphin that was singing in Japanese). 

He woke to his mum shaking him gently. 

“Phil, wake up, you’re going to miss your flight.” 

“Whha-?”

“I made some calls, and you’re going back home today. You’ll be in by 11 pm London time. You won’t miss your anniversary,” she said with a smile. Or, at least, it looked like it. Phil sat up and put on his glasses. He really wished she wouldn’t deliver important information when he had literally just gained consciousness. It took a few moments to process.

“Mum, you didn’t have to-” 

“Oh, but I did. We had plenty of family time. I couldn’t stand seeing you moping about for another day.” 

He began to protest, but she just shook her head, still smiling. “C’mon, get ready, your first flight leaves in two hours.” 

***

Phil had never packed so quickly in his life. There was no point in disguising his excitement now that his feelings were painfully obvious to his family. They drove him to the airport, said their goodbyes, and told him to give Dan their love.  I’ve got plenty of my own , he thought. 

It wasn’t until he was on his connecting flight that he realized that Dan was not expecting him until tomorrow, and would be surprised. Dan didn’t like surprises, but he had a feeling he’d be okay with this particular one.

After spending hours on planes and in cabs, Phil was much too tired to run to catch his train home. There was supposed to be another in twenty minutes, but it got delayed. He finally shared in the collective groan let out by all the businesspeople as he waited impatiently for the next train. It eventually arrived, and he took the train and another cab home. His fingers drummed nervously against the inside of the lift as it ascended to his floor. 

At 12:04 am, he unlocked the door and stepped into their flat. He climbed up the stairs and, sure enough, Dan was curled up on the couch in the lounge with his laptop and headphones. Dan jumped when he saw Phil in the doorway; apparently, he hadn’t heard him enter. 

“Phil! You’re home early!” he sprang up off the couch and pulled Phil into a hug. “Everything’s okay, right?”

“Never better,” Phil replied, squeezing him back.

“Why are you early?” Dan asked, pulling away and sitting back down. Phil joined him.

“Well, uh, guess what day it is?”

Dan glanced at the corner of his computer screen. “It’s that day, isn’t it?” he said with a smile. 

“Yeah,” Phil replied. “I couldn’t miss it.” 

“You did  not  cut your holiday short for me, did you?”

“Technically my mum did. I, uh… I might have missed you. And she noticed.” 

“Well in that case I might have missed you too,” he replied, placing a hand on Phil’s knee for a moment. 

“So, what shall we do to celebrate this momentous occasion?” Phil asked with a yawn. All the travelling had worn him out so good that he thought he might beat the jet lag if he went to bed now. But that would defeat the purpose. 

“Sleep, apparently,” Dan said, as though reading his mind. “If you’re tired, we can always do something in the morning. The day’s only just begun. We can party all day.”

“And by that, you mean eat Chinese food and exchange Pokemon games?”

“Exactly.” 

“Alright,” Phil said, giving in to the sleepiness. 

Dan decided to get ready for bed too, hoping that the routine would make him tired as well. Since he usually went to bed around 4 am, that, unsurprisingly, failed. Phil told Dan about the highlights of his trip while Dan flossed. 

“What’s the strangest thing that happened?” Dan prompted.

“The animal encounters weren’t enough for you?” Phil asked, having already told him about the lizard, spider, dolphin, and hammerhead shark he had seen. 

“I don’t care for sea creatures. Or spiders,” he said with a shudder. Phil laughed. Indeed, he was the appointed spider-killer in their flat. 

“Well, I had this really bizarre dream that it was snowing in our apartment and you stole my space jacket.” 

Dan had finished flossing and followed Phil to his room while they continued chatting. Phil climbed under the sheets and Dan sat at the end of his bed.

“Did I? Your subconscious must know how much I secretly want to do that. Did you take it back from me?”

“No, I-” Phil hesitated, but the sleep deprivation made him continue: “You were sleeping in it, so I just joined you. It was nice,” he said sleepily, unsure that his mental filters were working anymore. 

“Oh. That sounds nice,” Dan replied cautiously. “I mean, uh, hypothetically. You wouldn’t want to-” 

In response to Dan’s stammering, Phil grabbed the corner of the duvet and sheets and pulled them. Dan took that as his invitation, crawled between the sheets, and situated himself behind Phil. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled Phil close to his bare chest. 

“Remember the first time we did this?” Phil whispered. He felt Dan nod. “Seems like such a long time ago.”

“It wasn’t though; not really.” 

Phil turned around to face Dan, and he could just make it out his face in the darkness. “What’d you mean?”

“It feels like forever ago, and yet not at the same time. You know what I mean?” 

“Kinda,” Phil replied with a yawn. Dan laughed.

“Go to sleep, you turnip,” he said, still smiling. Phil smiled back.

“Night, Dan.”

“Night, Phil.”

Phil placed a lingering kiss on the underside of Dan’s jaw before snuggling into his chest. Dan stroked Phil’s hair softly as Phil drifted off to sleep.

Like he had said, there would be plenty of time to celebrate later. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil has returned from his holiday, and Dan makes plans to celebrate their anniversary.

Dan didn’t fall asleep for a while; he wasn’t tired, after all. But he was at peace. He didn’t mind being awake at that particular moment. He loved listening to Phil’s breathing as he slept: a sound he hadn’t been able to savor in much too long.

He was incredibly happy that Phil had had the courage to bring their friendship to the next level (even in a roundabout, sleep-deprivation-induced way). Dan wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to control himself, to be perfectly honest. 

He had been through so much in the past few years: starting and then dropping out of Uni, starting YouTube, and having an existential crisis every other week. And Phil had always been there for him, even more than four years prior, when he was just his favorite YouTuber. 

He really understood how a familiar, friendly face on the computer screen can really help someone through a hard time. Now, he had his own viewers who said that he did the same thing for him. And it was all thanks to Phil, really. 

Dan owed Phil so much, and now was his opportunity to thank him. He wanted to do something special. As articulate as Dan was, when it came to Phil, he had a hard time choosing the right words. So, he had to show rather than tell.

With his plan formulated, he timed his breaths with Phil’s and drifted off to sleep.

***

Dan woke to Phil shifting around in his arms, attempting not to disturb Dan as he climbed out of bed, grabbed a towel, and headed for the shower. 

Perfect , Dan thought. He was too excited for the forthcoming day to be his usual Morning Sloth self, as Phil called him. Armed with enough energy to start the day, he climbed out of bed, got dressed, and returned to Phil’s room.

He digged through Phil’s suitcase until he found the clothes he was looking for. He contemplated throwing them in the washer, but almost all of Phil’s clothes smelled like freshly done laundry. Dan figured Phil’s mum must have done laundry sometime over their holiday. He made a mental note that he owed her big time, for multiple reasons. 

Dan laid out his favorite of Phil’s outfits: his bear t-shirt, space jacket, a pair of black jeans, and of course, mismatched socks. Phil didn’t make a conscious effort to match or mismatch his socks, he just rolled with whatever life dealt him. Dan had to laugh a little. Even though he admired that quality in Phil, he couldn’t help but be amused by just how far Phil took that philosophy. Like, for instance, dying his hair blue because Tescos screwed up their order.

He was in the middle of making pancakes for breakfast when Phil joined him in the kitchen (dressed in his designated attire, of course). 

“Morning,” Phil greeted him, clearly confused.

“Morning to you too.”

“What’s all this?”

“I was feeling ambitious. Eat up, we’re going on an adventure.” Dan placed Phil’s plate at his place on the table, and Phil sat down. 

“We’re going on an adventure, Charlie!” Phil replied automatically, taking a bite. 

“Rate it out of ten?”

“Twenty-five. Seriously, it’s too much. I feel bad, I haven’t done anything for you.”

“You’re here,” Dan said simply, and swooped down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s a twenty-five out of ten for me.” 

Phil blushed and returned to his meal.

***

Dan refused to tell Phil where they were going, but it became quite obvious when Dan indicated their tube stop.

“Dan, are we going to the zoo?”

“You caught me,” Dan said with a smile. As the train slowed to a stop, Dan grabbed Phil’s hand and laced their fingers together. He led the way off of the train, and didn’t let go of Phil’s hand until they emerged from underground. (Admittedly, he was afraid of a subscriber seeing them hold hands.)

Dan had chosen their destination mostly for Phil, because Phil loved animals so much. Any time spent with Phil was time well spent, but Dan wouldn’t have guessed that his favorite part of their trip would be watching Phil watch the animals. Seeing his eyes light up and fill with an effervescent, infectious joy made Dan fall in love with Phil all over again. That happened whenever he was reminded that Phil was the epitome of everything good and beautiful in the world; so, quite often.

They ended their afternoon outing with the lion enclosure, naturally. 

“Lions are so much more majestic than the silly dolphins I saw in Florida,” Phil said as they approached the glass. Dan laughed. 

“All they’re doing is sleeping.”

“They need their rest. All that majesty and bravery takes energy.”

“You know, I never really got why lions represent bravery. If anything, it should be like, insects. Those fuckers have some nerve for thinking they can just land all over you and come into your house whenever they like.”

“ Dan ,” Phil chastised him, nodding his head towards the little girl standing beside them. 

“Sorry,” Dan muttered. “Anyway, I rest my case.” 

“Good, because it sucks. Can you imagine, J. K. Rowling saying ‘Sorry everyone, the symbol for Gryffindor house is now a beetle’?” 

“Makes sense to me. Beetles are braver than I am.” 

“Me too.”

“Nah, you’re a lion for sure.”

“I thought you said beetles are braver?”

“That was a dumbass metaphor. I’m trying to pay you a compliment.”

“Thanks,” Phil said with a giggle, sliding his arm around Dan’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. “And I like your metaphors.” 

They stood there for a few minutes, watching the lions stir and wander around their enclosure. Eventually, they got hungry, departed the zoo, and picked up some Chinese food on their way home. 

While Phil unpacked the food and set the table, Dan made them some Ribena concoctions to drink. Once they were settled, Dan raised his glass. 

“Here’s to another four years of tolerating each other.”

“And many more,” said Phil, and they both sipped.

They chatted about their accomplishments while they ate, and reminisced on that day four years previous.

“My god, I was so nervous,” admitted Phil. 

“Oh I was too, I’m sure you noticed.” 

“Why were we, though? It’s not like we weren’t already close.” 

“True. But I guess the notion of physical intimacy when we had already achieved so much emotional intimacy was a tad intimidating.” 

Phil nodded pensively. “True enough. You were even more beautiful in the flesh.” 

“Same goes for you, you spoon.” 

***

When they had cleaned up their early dinner, the sun was just starting to set. They exchanged a knowing glance as they saw the fading light streaming through the window. Watching the sunset was how they ended their first day together. Nothing needed to be said; they both automatically settled on the couch by the window. Dan curled up next to Phil and rested his head on Phil’s shoulder. 

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Phil said, “I was afraid to do, you know, this, for the longest time. But now I feel like everything’s gonna be alright.”

“I think so too. I don’t know if I believe in fate or whatever. But I feel like there’s something that’s gonna keep us stuck to each other for a long time,” Dan replied, smiling up at Phil. 

“Most people call that love,” said Phil, brushing Dan’s hair out of his eyes. “I love you, Dan.”

“I love you too, Phil.” 

Dan remembered their first kiss more clearly than practically anything. It happened in this same scenario. Quick and innocent, it was the beginning of the hasty end of their romantic relationship. Until now.

Dan straightened up, took Phil’s face in his hands, and kissed him gently. Phil wrapped his arms around Dan’s middle and kissed him back. All of their hesitation and doubt seemed to evaporate with every kiss, each of which grew in duration and intensity. 

Dan snuck his hands under Phil’s shirt and grazed his fingertips up and down Phil’s sides. Phil did the same for Dan’s back, but neither attempted to remove the other’s shirt. Dan felt compelled to preserve the feeling of newness that they were channeling from four years ago, and Phil did not protest. 

When they had run out of breath, they settled down together on the couch and cuddled, with Phil as the big spoon this time. Dan couldn’t help but feel like they were almost paying homage to their younger selves by repeating past events. 

Only this time, it was different. This time, they were certain.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this fic, please consider leaving a comment or kudos. You can also [reblog it here](http://thatsmistertoyou.tumblr.com/post/64653469164/phanniversary) or come [say hi](http://thatsmistertoyou.tumblr.com/mail) on tumblr. Thank you for reading <3


End file.
